Trump attacks Democrat probes amid impeachment talk

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked continuing probes of his presidency by Democratic lawmakers amid an intensifying debate within the opposition party over impeachment.

In a pair of early morning Tweets, Trump denounced the congressional investigations by House Democrats as “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!” and complained they were hurting his poll numbers.

“Without the ILLEGAL Witch Hunt, my poll numbers, especially because of our historically ‘great’ economy, would be at 65%. Too bad! The greatest Hoax in American History.”

Trump has flatly rejected Democratic attempts to subpoena his tax records, and hear testimony from a former White House counsel who testified extensively to the special counsel who investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 US elections.

Faced with White House stonewalling, Democrats appear increasingly divided over whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has argued in favor of keeping the focus on educating the public through congressional probes, rather than moving to impeach Trump when it would almost certainly fail in the Republican-controlled Senate.

But other members of her caucus are reported to have pressed for formal impeachment proceedings on grounds that Congress needs to assert its historical oversight powers as a check against the executive.